Environmental and Engineering Solutions, Inc. (EES) attended a Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) roundtable meeting focusing on water resources on June 30, 2004. Over 35 area residents, business representatives and municipal officials attended the roundtable. The roundtable featured two speakers, Carol Collier, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) Executive Director and Jen Fields, a DEP Water Management Permit Chief. Ms. Collier focused on Act 220 (Water Resources Planning Act) and updated the attendees on the status of the DRBC’s progress in complying with Act 220. Ms. Fields centered her discussion on Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) permitting.
Act 220
The Water Resources Planning Act (Act 220 of 2002) requires the DEP to conduct a statewide water withdrawal and use registration and reporting program and to update the State Water Plan by 2008. Facilities that use over 10,000 gallons of water per day, over any 30-day period, must register and report their water usage to the DEP. Registrations for existing withdrawals and use were due in March 2004 and are currently being accepted. Discussions on the update of the State Water Plan are underway and the update will include strategies regarding wastewater, storm water, supply and demand and water permitting.
EES is currently assisting clients with compliance with Act 220. Contact Tom Petersen at 215-881-9401 for further information.
Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL)
Also underway for completion in 2008 are the Pennsylvania TMDL reports. TMDLs represent the total amount of pollutants that can be assimilated by a stream without causing water quality standards to be exceeded. Since 1997, the DEP has been developing TMDLs for impaired streams in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The final result for each stream is a TMDL report including follow-up and monitoring needs.
Manufacturing and other point and non-point sources in Pennsylvania will see the effects of the TMDL process in their National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. The 5-year NPDES permit renewal process will consider TMDLs developed for stream(s) into which the source discharges. Typically a source will have 2 or 3 years to comply with new requirements resulting from the TMDL reports. Common pollution reductions will relate to sedimentation, nutrients and metals. New sources that are not included under the original TMDL report may have difficulty obtaining a permit, since there may be only a small margin of safety in the TMDL report.
EES is currently assisting clients with NPDES permits and TMDLs. Contact Tom Petersen at 215-881-9401 for further information.
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